Category Archives: Tropical Plants and Food

Flashback: Puerto Rico August 8, 2005

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While we were cleaning things up (a constant struggle) I found the journal we kept while in Puerto Rico on our honeymoon over 6 years ago. We had decided then that our honeymoon would help us decide if Puerto Rico was right for us to move to. After the adventures and enchantment of the island, we were hooked. I thought it might be fun if I posted these journal entries from time to time on here, so you can see through our eyes the first time we were ever in Puerto Rico and the excitement and fear of the unknown we felt.


At Casa Grande Resort in Utuado, Puerto Rico

Day 2- August 8, 2005

The Honeymoon Begins: San Juan Arrival

We have arrived at Hotel Casa Grande Mountain Resort. It is in the middle of a forest filled with banana trees, coconut trees, stray dogs and cats and we have a gecko in the room as I write this..he’s climbing the wall. We have a pool out the door and the coqui frogs are chirping louder than crickets. The owner of this place was a New York lawyer who left it all and opened this “green” yoga and nature resort.


Britton and the gecko

We spent most of last night searching for a place to stay and once we got our rental car at about 11pm we drove around and around tons of cars and people. They drive so horribly here- going through red lights, cutting you off, tail-gating- I’m just glad Britton’s driving and not me.

We saw hookers and what looked like crackwhores and dealers when we took a wrong turn into the ghetto -I can see why Pam thought San Juan is dirty! Some places are really dirty!


Our little red rental car, me, and the hotel of our first night in San Juan

Finally we found the beach and a small hotel and decided to call it good eventhough it was $115 for a small room. It was good to sleep though after traveling since 7am MDT that morning.

Today we got up around 9:30am local time (7:30 in Colo) and began our adventure. Britton brought up some continental breakfast and we headed out off to Old San Juan.


The Cobblestone Streets of Old San Juan

We took a bus into OSJ and saw Fort of San Cristobal and San Felipe del Morro- the huge walled-in city and cemetery which was really cool.


The cemetery in Old San Juan is right next to the ocean!


Very ornate marblework!

The bus system works pretty well and only cost 25 cents, sometimes free if you get on the trolleys. We stopped at a restaurant and had lunch -American cheese costs extra! $1!!! Most things so far cost about the same as at home, but it is very different here- especially the humidity and the warm, sweaty air.


At El Morro in San Juan

A bum came up to me as Britton and I were waiting for the bus and made a leaf flower and wanted all our change. He didn’t think .65 cents was enough apparently…


Grassy area between the cemetery and the morro -the kite flying area

In Old San Juan


Garita de Viejo San Juan

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Avocados Galore!

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My aunt Laura invited us to an avocado tasting party put on by the Avocado Diva and Vintage Inn in Eaton/Galeton. We had so much fun! The bed and breakfast was a beautiful house and the hostess is a terrific cook. There were all sorts of different foods to try that had a little avocado in them. From chocolate/avocado fudge and avocado salad to delicious guacamole and avocado leaf tea!


A nice spread of avocado and other snacks!

The Avocado Diva brought all of these avocados straight from small-scale farms in California. We learned all about different types of avocados including such varieties as Zutano, Bacon, Pinkerton, and the most famous: Haas. The type we were most impressed by was the Mexicola! According to the Avocado Diva, Brenda, this is the original wild Mexican avocado. It looks sort of like a fig or a plum and the skin is edible! The skin has a sort of nutty flavor to it. This is also the variety that you can use the licorice smelling leaves in iced tea. What’s more, is unlike most of the hybridized varieties, this one you can grow true to form from the seed. So we are going to try and sprout some here and maybe in PR too!


The small black, smooth-skinned Mexicola Avocado in comparison with another variety

We bought a variety box of them and are looking forward to enjoying our gourmet avocados for the next couple of weeks! Yay! We did find two or three avocado trees on our property in Rincon, so this makes us all the more excited to eat off our land! We learned today that there are avocados that mature at different seasons. Some are summer varieties and some are winter while others are year-round producers. We would love to be able to eat these all year round!


Holding a small Mexicola next to our box of goodies

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